Dick Cepek FC II

by Albert Vandervelde

With winter well underway our tow rig was in need of some new boots. With the amount of towing we do and the heavy weight of a diesel truck tires are something this truck sees a lot of. Last year we shod the beast in a set of Pirelli Scorpion ATRs. While I will say the tires were beyond excellent in the winter, the soft tire compound made them a poor summer tire. Not only are they mostly worn out after a single season, the soft rubber compound made turning in tight parking lots a bear in the hot summer months.

The other downside was anything  loose such as deeper snow or loose gravel hills. The tight tread blocks did not allow for any added traction, these were pretty much a winter only tire and while I would not hesitate to use them for a winter tire again – they would need to come off when spring hits.

With so many different types of terrain our truck sees, we needed a better all around All Terrain type tire. We had used the Dick Cepek FC II tires on a Cherokee project a few years ago with great success and felt they were worth a try on the heavy diesel truck. At the same time, our Motometal chrome plated aluminum wheels were starting to show their age with pitting under the chrome and were becoming increasingly difficulty to clean.

Being a diesel and requiring a E load rated tire our choices became a bit limited to match the 35 inch tire size suited to the trucks suspension lift height. This combination of DC II wheels in a more current style, black on clear coated natural aluminum finish and 35X12.50R20LT FC II tires made for a nice combination on the Chevy. All of the FC II Cepek tires in the 18-20 inch rim size are rated E while the balance of the FC II lineup are C-E depending on size.

The deep A/T type pattern improved the traction in deeper snow conditions we have seen this winter while keeping road noise in check. The deep lugs will also be much better for gravel roads come summer. The lower profile side wall means less sidewall flex and has improved the parking lot turning of the truck immensely over the previous set of tires.

The truck went for a recent trip to Bralorne on a sledding trip and on the way home roads were not plowed through the mountain pass and we were breaking trail the whole way to Lillooet. The truck was loaded with gear pulling two sleds on trailer and It felt very confident with them in the snow. As for highway they drive good not to loud just a low hum.

The Cepek FC II line up:

Size                                                     Rating Height

31X10.50R15LT                                 C         30.5in

33X12.50R15LT                                 C         32.6in

35X12.50R15LT                                 C         34.9in

LT265/75R16              32X10.50R16  E         31.8in

LT285/75R16              33X11.50R16  D        32.8in

LT305/70R16              33X12.50R16  D        32.8in

LT315/75R16              35X12.50R16  D        34.6in

LT265/70R17              32X10.50R17  E         31.7in

LT285/70R17              33X11.50R17  D        32.8in

33X12.50R17LT                                 D         32.6in

35X12.50R17LT                                 D         34.9in

37X13.50R17LT                                 D         36.8in

LT275/65R18              32X11.50R18  E         32.3in

LT305/60R18              33X12.50R18  E         32.6in

LT325/60R18              33X13.50R18  E         33.2in

LT305/70R18              35X12.50R18  E         35.1in

LT325/65R18              35X13.50R18  E         35.0in

LT305/55R20              33X12.50R20  E         33.4in

LT325/50R20              33X13.50R20  E         33.0in

35X12.50R20LT                                 E          34.6in

35X13.50R20LT                                 E          34.8in